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Key to Better Chipping

March 10, 2011 - Steve Anderson

Those little chips shots from around the green that most golfers have many times during their rounds are key for your scoring yet most amateur players struggle to get them close. Most average players have to chip 12-13 times during their round so it's a shot that can save you that many strokes if you get them close enough to 1-putt.

One of the key factors that I work with my own students on is the movement of the back leg. Left leg for lefties and right leg for right handers.

After you've selectled the proper club and assumed the right address position you know begin to swing the club back. A key factor is to begin your downstroke with a little kick or drive of your back knee and heel. I'd say 95% of amateur players I watch never move their leg at all and only stab their arms at the ball. You need to get those legs involved as they're much heavier than your arms and will drive through the ball and turf better. You drive your legs and lower body on your full swing and you should also use them a little bit on your chipping and pitching. Watch the pros on TV and you'll see that they drive that back knee in just a little and leave the hands out of it. More legs will mean less arms and hands and that's always a good thing.